Gen Moeen assures help to BFF

National Sports Council chairman and Army Chief General Moeen U Ahmed handing over the Deed of Agreement of the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium to BCB president Maj Gen Sina Ibn Jamali (fourth from right) at the NSC yesterday. BCB got the right to use the exclusive venue at Mirpur for 15 years.Photo: STAR

National Sports Council (NSC) chairman and Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) president Gen Moeen U Ahmed has offered his helping hands to the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF).
BFF president Kazi Salahuddin, who led a 15-member delegation that met with Army Chief Gen Moeen at the BOA office yesterday, termed the meeting as fruitful.
"It was a very good meeting and we are very pleased to meet with Gen Moeen, whose love for football is really encouraging. I thank him from my whole committee for his knowledge and concern about the condition of football in the country," Salahuddin told reporter after the meeting.
"We briefed him about our plans for the future. We also told him what we need and what we should do but we found out that he had already done his homework. He not only listened to us but also pointed out some areas of development where we should focus.
"We wanted his help about getting sponsors as well as reviving the game in Dhaka and the districts. He has promised to assign sports-related persons at the district sports associations who will also look after football in the districts and co-ordinate with the BFF.
"Gen Moeen advised us to concentrate on school football and also suggested us to prepare a summary of where we are standing now and make the plan where we want to go from here in four years," said the former national footballer adding that the NSC chief was frustrated about Bangladesh's performance in the SAFF Championship.
"He has assured us to go to him for any kind of help in the future."
When Salahuddin's attention was drawn to the national team's premature exit from the SAFF Championship, he was visibly embarrassed.
"I am very unhappy like everyone. A draw or a loss to Bhutan is same to me. Everyone saw our yesterday's match against Sri Lanka and knows where we stand now," said Salahuddin without blaming anyone in particular but virtually agreeing that the national team have hit their lowest ebb in years.
"I have my own plan's about the team but I want to sit with the National Team Management Committee before finalising it."

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